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State soccer finals in the County: You can get there from here

Ashland’s Erica Cyr goes up for a header during the Eastern Maine Class D championship against Penobscot Valley High School last November at the Dr. Gehrig T. Johnson Athletic Complex in Presque Isle. The Classes C and D state soccer finals will be held Saturday in Presque Isle. (Photo by Dave Allen)

One of the better decisions made by the Maine Principals’ Association in the past several years will come to fruition this Saturday when the high school state soccer championships in Classes C and D kick off at the Dr. Gehrig T. Johnson Athletic Complex in Presque Isle.

The decision to implement a five-year rotation for the soccer sites is one that has more fairly balanced the traveling playing field for the state’s high schools.

The teams traveling north to the state finals will experience something the County schools have consistently encountered over the past few decades — trips ranging from 150 to 300 miles with three to 4 1/2 hours on a school bus.

Five of the eight North teams that could make the trip after Wednesday’s regional finals — Central of Corinth, Washington Academy of East Machias, Bangor Christian, Bucksport and Orono — are an average 159 miles from Presque Isle. The other three teams are from the County — Fort Fairfield, Madawaska and Ashland — and would have trips of 11, 59 and 23 miles, respectively.

The South regional final teams of Monmouth Academy, Waynflete of Portland, Richmond, Buckfield and Rangeley face an average trip of 265 miles. Monmouth, Waynflete and Richmond each have two teams in the finals.

Yes, those distances are long, but remember again that the County teams have always done so and those looking for a reminder only need to check in with the Fort Kent girls soccer team, which traveled 314 miles to Portland for last year’s state final and 320 miles to Scarborough in 2012.

Admittedly, I’m a bit objectively challenged when it comes to feeling a bit of sympathy for the long journeys teams will take to play games in Aroostook County because I have strong family connections to the County and was always amazed by friends who seemed to think the trip from Bangor to Presque Isle was longer than the trip from Presque Isle to Bangor.

The distances, of course, are the same. It just seems like it’s a bit more uphill to the County, especially for rookies making their first trips.

About Joe McLaughlin

McLaughlin (right) is a Stearns High School and University of Maine graduate who worked for three years at the Aroostook Republican and News in Caribou as a reporter and editor. He has worked on the BDN sports desk for 30 years, the last 18 as sports editor. McLaughlin and his wife, Kathy Schwigan, live in Brewer and have three adult children: Ryan, Matthew and Tess.
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Joe McLaughlin

McLaughlin (right) is a Stearns High School and University of Maine graduate who worked for three years at the Aroostook Republican and News in Caribou as a reporter and editor. He has worked on the BDN sports desk for 30 years, the last 18 as sports editor. McLaughlin and his wife, Kathy Schwigan, live in Brewer and have three adult children: Ryan, Matthew and Tess.

Pete Warner

Pete is a Bangor native who graduated from Bangor High School, Class of 1980. He earned a B.S. in Journalism (Advertising) from the University of Maine in 1986. He has been a full-time member of the Bangor Daily News Sports staff since 1984. Pete lives in Bangor with his wife of 32 years, Annia. They have two adult sons, Will and Paul. Pete is fluent in Spanish and enjoys visiting his in-laws and friends in Costa Rica. His hobbies including hunting, fishing and listening to jazz.